Thursday, October 1, 2026
After nearly two years of closure and renovation, the Malverne Cinema & Art Center welcomed a select group of guests on Aug. 19 for a fundraiser hosted by the actor Steve Buscemi, a Valley Stream native, giving supporters an early look at the theater’s next chapter.
The evening centered on a 30th-anniversary screening of “Trees Lounge,” the 1996 film written and directed by Buscemi, who also starred in it. The screening featured a newly restored 4K version of the film — a high-resolution digital edition created by restoring and remastering the original film materials — with Buscemi joined by friends, former classmates and other area residents.
Buscemi reached out to the Malverne Cinema about bringing the anniversary screening to Long Island after discussing it with friends who wanted to attend but couldn’t all be accommodated at a Manhattan screening. The idea became an opportunity to pair the screening with a fundraiser for the theater’s revival.
“I always want to support independent cinemas because I do think that they’re really important,” Buscemi said, “and I do find it sad that a lot of them are gone.”
The event also gave guests a chance to see the work that has gone into restoring the Hempstead Avenue theater since it closed in September 2024. Organizers, and new owners, Nick Hudson and Maria Dente have been working to transform the longtime cinema into a nonprofit community arts center by intertwining two nonprofits, Dente’s Dreamers and Entertainment 2 Affect Change, while maintaining its identity as a movie theater.
Dente’s Dreamers is an inclusive production company that gives people of all abilities opportunities to take part in every aspect of theater. E2AC uses digital, cinematic and live storytelling to educate, engage and inspire positive change in underserved communities.
“I love that they’re making it all inclusive,” Buscemi said. “That, to me, is the definition of community.”
Last week’s event brought together longtime residents, Buscemi’s friends and former classmates, supporters of the renovation effort and members of Dente’s Dreamers, who greeted guests and assisted throughout the evening, alongside other support staff. Their participation is a key part of Hudson and Dente’s shared vision for the theater.
“We’ve constantly been surprised by people from the larger community, who we never expected to reach out and help,” Hudson said. “Tonight makes you feel like our idea wasn’t dumb.”
The event came after months of work inside the theater. Organizers are also prioritizing accessibility and compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act as renovations continue.
For Dente, seeing the theater filled with people and watching members of Dente’s Dreamers take on their first job made the evening particularly meaningful. “Being able to be here, to do this and to have the greatest staff members in the world, and the greatest community and village supporting us,” she said, “it’s a beautiful, beautiful, beautiful day.”
The fundraiser was also a preview of what organizers hope will become a much broader calendar of programming. Plans call for the theater to host live performances and community classes, while a stage that had been covered by movie screens will eventually be available for performances.
“We’ve only just begun,” Dente said. “We have lots of exciting things that are going to happen here.”
Buscemi’s presence was particularly fitting, rowing up in Valley Stream.
“It’s hard to get people back in the theater, and especially for independent films,” Buscemi said. “And that’s where my heart really lies.”
The theater hopes to reopen this fall. For more information, visit MalverneCinema.org.
